King Now A Queen Among Florida's Quality Athletes

April 16, 1985|By Bill Buchalter of the Sentinel staff

Add Lori King's name to the list of elite Florida high school athletes. This Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley junior finished third in the all-around competition at the Class I United States Gymnastics Association Southeastern championships held in Jacksonville last weekend. King compiled 72.25 points competing against 90 athletes from eight states who had to qualify into the tournanment. She was one of four Floridians who earned berths on the six- member National team from Region 8, including winner Tina Rinker of Jacksonville and runner-up Lisa Grieco of Sarasota. Susan Alfiero of Largo finished fourth. Next major competition for King will be the national championships May 18-19 at Fort Lauderdale with perks -- such as berths in the National Sports Competition -- going to the winners.

National High School Athletic Coaches Association regional coach-of-the- year awards will be presented to four Floridians during the national convention in Denver, Colo., June 28. All regional winners are also candidates for the national honors. The Floridians are Bob Mosher, athletic director at Winter Park; Glenn Kaye, swimming coach at Fort Lauderdale Nova; Charles Friend, tennis coach at Miami Beach High School, and Chuck McPhilomy, cross- country coach at Jacksonville Sandalwood.

Florida high school basketball takes a back seat to nobody. That was proved again last weekend when split squads representing Team Florida beat teams from New York City and Washington, D.C., in the Sunshine Classic AAU tournament held at Memorial and Westridge Junior High School gyms. Dwayne Davis (St. Petersburg Dixie Hollins) was the most valuable player in the 19- under tourney for elite players. Central Floridians performed well for the two Florida squads. Orlando Oak Ridge's Everett Callaway caught the eye of several Midwest and Eastern college coaches who liked his strength and court savvy. Daytona Beach Seabreeze's Terry Johnson dished out more assists than any player in the tournament and was praised by national recruiting expert Bill Cronauer as the best point guard he has seen at all the Team Florida trials. College coaches were impressed with Johnson's explosive quickness. DeLand's Randy Anderson, though mysteriously left off the all-tournament team, was the most impressive Floridian next to Davis, blocking shots and rebounding against taller opponents and showing big-time moves to the basket. Livingston Chapman, 16, a sophomore at Lakeland Christian, was also impressive, taking leave from his Lakeland Boys Club 17-under team to play for Team Florida. Moses Scurry, a 6-foot-8 New Yorker, was the MVP in the 17-under tourney won by his Riverside Hawks. Don Ruedlinger, of Sports Expo, which sponsored the tournament, was amazed at the success and the response. ''We feel this can be bigger and better next year,'' Ruedlinger said. ''Baton Rouge wants to bring two teams next year, Charlotte wants to bring five. I heard from Wichita and other places who want to come to Orlando to play.'' . . . Mike Smith, of Cocoa, was named the outstanding player at the Central Florida Amateur Basketball Association Easter camp. . . . The number of Florida high school basketball players signing grants-in-aid to Division I and I-AA has reached 27. When you include junior college athletes who are Florida high school grads, the number reaches 32. . . . High school basketball in Florida gained a welcome addition last week when Brevard Community College Coach Kirk Stewart took a job at Titusville Astronaut.